Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Waterford football scores big with a small request
WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- This is a relatable request for any 10-year-old who's ever loved football.
Aiden Dahl wanted a jersey and a helmet.
His mom, Trisha Dahl, did what a lot of moms would do. She reached out on Facebook looking for suggestions where to get them.
And what the family got instead is a whole football team.
"Aiden, let's go. You want to lead practice?" asked running back Dayton Hartmann.
Dahl is living the dream.
"You're in between us. You're in between us," Hartmann said, making sure Dahl was in the center of the action.
Dahl got to lead stretches on the field with the Waterford freshman football team.
The players made sure their new teammate feels welcome.
"We're all one, we don't not include anyone," said free safety Easton Valenti.
"It's been so heartwarming. It's brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions," Trisha Dahl said of Aiden's acceptance by the football team.
Trisha Dahl never thought she'd have a chance to watch him from the sidelines.
"When you have special needs, you don't always get to get included in all the things everybody else does," she said.
When Aiden was younger, he had a condition called involuntary breath holding syndrome.
"From the age of 1 to 7, when he would start crying, his brain couldn't trigger to take a breath," his mom explained.
Dahl says it left Aiden with a cognitive delay. Still, his desire to hit the field is strong.
So, his mom turned to a Facebook group, asking other moms where she could get a jersey and a helmet.
"I wasn't looking for a handout. I was honestly thinking it would be a Christmas present," she said.
Within two hours, Coach Shawn Schneiker was one of the people who stepped up.
"I had been working from home that day, so I had ended up just grabbing the stuff from my garage and by 4 o'clock, he was on our sideline that day," Schneiker said.
The number Aiden chose for his jersey? 11.
"Because it's my favorite player on the Brewers," he said.
"He had to be Jackson Chourio's number," his mom added.
Aiden has been on the sidelines for every game since.
"I can come off to the sideline; I can keep a smile on my face no matter what happens. Got Aiden right next to me, cracking jokes and just having fun in general," Hartmann said.
A valuable lesson in what it means to be a team.
"This was all on them for inviting him and treating him like he's one of the team. Which he is," Coach Schneiker said.
"They're all like, he's our good luck charm, can he come back for the next game?" his mom said.
Aiden got his helmet the day we were at practice. And he was on the sidelines with the team for their game that week.
The players say spending time with Aiden has meant a lot to them, too.
If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].